[News] Late For Work 3/16: Ravens Getting High Praise For Free-Agent Moves

[merryjman]

11 minutes ago, WNC-Raven said:

A month ago I would have never thought we would be in this positions as Ozzie typically waits for bargain signings and the draft to fill our holes. We may have to draft an OT to back up Monroe in the draft but we have our starter until he proves otherwise. Monroe is good when healthy so we may need a back up plan. Not a primary plan. Ravens are great at finding talented Guards and pass rushers in the draft. CB is going to be tough. Very few rookies can come in and start at the NFL level right away and there are not many options in FA. I bet we draft one and pray someone decent gets cut as the rosters develop. Remember there are still cuts to come and Ozzie is patient.

I totally agree with what you said about Monroe. He took a while to figure out the scheme, but once he did he was good. I am hoping that he is not truly injury-prone and was simply unlucky to get two lingering injuries in a row.  After all, the same exact thing happened to KO (remember his back issues in his first two seasons?) and his play suffered then, too.

A long shot, but I also wonder if the Ravens aren't letting talk generate about LT just to make people think they want to make a move there, when they really don't? Seems like this sort of thing happens a lot with all teams leading up to the draft.

Edited March 16, 2016 by merryjman

[Hardhitters]

This year they had no choice but to make moves like this, is it really shocking to splash a bit when a winning franchise parked on dumpster st for a year. If moves wasn't made and we lost again the hammer was coming down. So I'm not shocked one bit but I am once again excited for the draft and Ravens football season.

[Halshayeji]

1 hour ago, RavensDieHard21 said:

Oh yeah, I love DeCosta. Having him is like having two top-tier GMs and I think every other organization is jealous of that! Class act all around.

All the credit goes to our owner because no sane assistant GM turns down offer after offer to stay an assistant unless your owner really makes it worthwile. Our owners continue to spill out more cash than anyone on our staff because there's no salary cap there. Mad mad respect and this is why we always believe!

[Halshayeji]

48 minutes ago, stixfix69 said:

Just one more "W" i want to see on the board....Brandon Williams signs long term deal....:)

Now that would be Winning!

[WordProphet]

The Ravens seem to have made some nice moves during free agency, but the real test come when regular season starts, I hope we can make it not only to the playoffs but Superbowl bound!!! Go Ravens!!!

[hn68wb4]

I didn't even consider letting Upshaw go to cancel out the Weddle signing but that seems like a smart move, though Upshaw hasn't exactly gotten a lot of attention so far. I largely agree with Zrebec, all 4 of our signings so far - Weddle, Wallace, Wright, and Watson (that's a lot of Ws) - are first class but Wallace is not a long term solution at WR, Watson is only staying for a year or two at his age, Wright played well at the end of last year but there's no telling how he'll do moving forward and depth is still a must, Weddle was a big and did cancel out our need for a safety which was a need, although I don't think was a big one. Great signings but we are in dier need for oline depth, I hope a signing will come there soon - just depth, I'm not advocating we shell out for someone.

[eze17]

Is "7 picks in the first four rounds" accurate ? Or was that counting ko's compensary pick, which we've now lost? Also, I agree that OT is not the pressing concern provided that Monroe is healthy - But if the right guy is there at #6 we have to take him, and that includes A left tackle.

[ellicottraven]

Man am I glad we have Eric DeCosta and Ozzie Newsome on our team! The best front office tandem in sports.

[Halshayeji]

32 minutes ago, bioLarzen said:

As for pass rushers - first let's wait and see if/how Suggs will be penalized by the court and/or the NFL. If it's not significant, a new pass rusher isn't an absolute necessity (although still a need). If he's out for more than one or two games, we'll definitely need a veteran pass rusher.

But the night is still so young...

Well said!

I totally agree but just wanted to pick ur brains a bit. How much of a reach would it be if the Ravens took Leonard Floyd? Iv fallen in love with this guy after watching some of his tape. I think he has an upside similar to Von Miller and can line up anywhere. Organized Chaos?

[hn68wb4]

9 minutes ago, eze17 said:

Is "7 picks in the first four rounds" accurate ? Or was that counting ko's compensary pick, which we've now lost? Also, I agree that OT is not the pressing concern provided that Monroe is healthy - But if the right guy is there at #6 we have to take him, and that includes A left tackle.

This years picks aren't affected by this years signings, those affect next years. Compensatories have already been awarded - we have 1 1st, 1 2nd, 1 3rd, and 4 4ths (ours, one from a trade, and two comps).

Edited March 16, 2016 by hn68wb4
add info

[metalraven]

As long as the o line is solidified; then this offense can be seriously dangerous. I'm thinking we go Stanley in first round, then defense in all subsequent rounds.

[Raven552]

I'm loving this off season so far.. can't wait to get to real football though.   I just hope we stay healthy this year, the coaches need to take a look at some of their training practices and maybe tweak them a bit.

[The Greek]

left tackle/o-line and pass rush are the top 2 needs. cb and inside lb are needs as well. if stanley and hargreaves are both available i wonder who is rated higher on the ravens draft board or will they sway from there bpa method and go for need which imo would be stanley. need to protect your highest paid player and monroe has not stayed healthy lately. there are some tackles that we could snag in the 2nd rd. like spriggs but we may need to move up slightly to make sure we get him. on a side note i know it seems like we are set at rb but with the moves made on offense thus far i wonder if they would shock us and draft a rb in the 2nd or 3rd

Edited March 16, 2016 by The Greek

[bioLarzen]

To be honest, I was quite sure Wallace would not accept the kind of deal we could offer them NOW. Simply staying on the market seemed much more logical a step for him.

Great work that the FO could pull it off - and I'm glad I was proven wrong about this.

[balfan23]

Absolutely disagree that our top 3 needs remain the same. I've considered FS among the top 3, if not the #1 need on this team since Reed left. If an improved WR group wasn't top 3, it was top 5.

[bioLarzen]

1 hour ago, Halshayeji said:

1 hour ago, bioLarzen said:

As for pass rushers - first let's wait and see if/how Suggs will be penalized by the court and/or the NFL. If it's not significant, a new pass rusher isn't an absolute necessity (although still a need). If he's out for more than one or two games, we'll definitely need a veteran pass rusher.

But the night is still so young...

Well said!

I totally agree but just wanted to pick ur brains a bit. How much of a reach would it be if the Ravens took Leonard Floyd? Iv fallen in love with this guy after watching some of his tape. I think he has an upside similar to Von Miller and can line up anywhere. Organized Chaos?

I'm flattered that you conseider me a good source on this - but, to be honest, I have no idea I can only go by nfl.com's analysis on him. From this he doesn't seem a plug-n-play, week#1 guy from the physical point of view. He seems to be in need of some extra muscle and weight.
Skill- and talent-wise, however, he seems a good one. Mocks like to put him in the 17-25 range of the first round, so, while he seems a bit of a reach at #6, there's a good chance he won't be around when we pick in the second round. Maybe, if we trade out of #6?

But, once again, I'm only speculating, as I have never seen the guy play.

Edited March 16, 2016 by bioLarzen

[FloridalovesRavens]

  2 hours ago, bioLarzen said:

  4 hours ago, respecttheRaven said:

I really don't think Wallace meant that Bridgewater was a bad QB....just that he didn't fit his style of play, the long ball. Flacco fit's better, that's all. But as we all know the media will blow this thing up, as they do with everything. Anyway, Welcome to Baltimore Wallace, Watson and Weddle!!! I am SO excited!!!! I can't wait for 2016 season!!!!

That's more about being classy. What he did was basically very similar to what KO did when he said what he said about the Ravens not appreciating the O-line... It's just not nice. Nothing more.
Nate Burleson IMHO nailed it with his comment.

Who cares ! I swear the media loves to spin things, all these guys are BIG boys, i think they can take peoples opinions. This isn't pee wee ball.

You are so right. Who cares. It is what it is.

[bioLarzen]

So, it's Will Hill. With Weddle snatched, it was kinda obvious that one of the bigger money safeties would be cut. I though it would be Webb - but no, it's Will Hill.

[riseNConquer81]

Free Safety and Wide Receiver were definitely top needs, dont know why everybody is trying to treat them as otherwise. Watson we could probably do without. We'll have Gillmore (eventually) and Williams.

We had NO Free safety, and only one good receiver, and he was supposed to retire last season.

Pass rush isnt really that pressing a need, that's more about depth and future development than anything. Suggs and Dumervil still getting it done with plenty of style. the only time we have an issue is when one of them gets hurt.

Same with LT. Monroe isnt playing badly, he's just not available enough. He's spending too much time on the medical table. If we could keep him healthy, we'd be square there.

We do need more corners though. at least one.

Team needs have two sources: weakness and voids.
Voids are always more pressing. Its always a bigger problem to have nobody at a spot than it is to have some guys but they have this or that problem.
So top three needs in my view were Safety, Receiver and Corner.
Then Left Tackle, then pass rush.

[riseNConquer81]

So, it's Will Hill. With Weddle snatched, it was kinda obvious that one of the bigger money safeties would be cut. I though it would be Webb - but no, it's Will Hill.

just got that message.
He's not even really big money though, only $4.5M against the cap.

This doesnt make sense though, he played well and stayed out of trouble.
They could just plug Kendrick Lewis in his spot, cuz he's really a box safety anyway. but i think they try to resign Hill to cut the cap number.

[bioLarzen]

19 minutes ago, riseNConquer81 said:

33 minutes ago, bioLarzen said:

So, it's Will Hill. With Weddle snatched, it was kinda obvious that one of the bigger money safeties would be cut. I though it would be Webb - but no, it's Will Hill.

just got that message.
He's not even really big money though, only $4.5M against the cap.

This doesnt make sense though, he played well and stayed out of trouble.
They could just plug Kendrick Lewis in his spot, cuz he's really a box safety anyway. but i think they try to resign Hill to cut the cap number.

Well, I guess it's not us who can really judge what about these moves makes sense and what doesn't... We are not in the know - those who make the decisions, are.

As for the money: 4.5M is oine of the biggest cap figures in the safety crop - and, since it's safety we have too many guys at, it makes sense that a relatively large cap slice is removed from the safety crop.

And I suspect there's gonna be at least one more cut there - my guess is either Kendrick Lewis or Brooks.

 

... not to mention we may even end up getting Hill back... you never know. When we cut Leach a coupls of seasons ago, nobody gave a chance that he would end up back in Baltimore - which he did... Hill may just as well be back... just like Daryl Smith.

 

We're hardly into free agency, there's a huge lot of time until August.

Edited March 16, 2016 by bioLarzen

[Crusader]

Weddle was a replacement for the bad draft pick Elam and Mike Wallace is replacement for Torrey Smith (2015) 663 yards 4TD to Mikes 473 2TD.but lets praise Ozzie & Ravens anyway.Retracing your steps is not moving forward.i.e becoming better.

[Ravenous_Ravens]

I'm loving this off season so far.. can't wait to get to real football though.   I just hope we stay healthy this year, the coaches need to take a look at some of their training practices and maybe tweak them a bit.

It's football. Injuries are a part of the game no matter how much you do to avoid them. They can only be limited and there is only so much you can do to avoid them. Last year was a bit irregular and hopefully a small blip only.

[Ravenous_Ravens]

  4 hours ago, bioLarzen said:

As for pass rushers - first let's wait and see if/how Suggs will be penalized by the court and/or the NFL. If it's not significant, a new pass rusher isn't an absolute necessity (although still a need). If he's out for more than one or two games, we'll definitely need a veteran pass rusher.

But the night is still so young...

Well said!

I totally agree but just wanted to pick ur brains a bit. How much of a reach would it be if the Ravens took Leonard Floyd? Iv fallen in love with this guy after watching some of his tape. I think he has an upside similar to Von Miller and can line up anywhere. Organized Chaos?

Leonard Floyd is pretty thin for NFL backer. He will need to spend many hours getting his body ready for the next level. I would not expect him to be at the size you would want to see him play at by the start of year 1 for him. Year 2 is more likely.

[Halshayeji]

49 minutes ago, Ravenous_Ravens said:

Leonard Floyd is pretty thin for NFL backer. He will need to spend many hours getting his body ready for the next level. I would not expect him to be at the size you would want to see him play at by the start of year 1 for him. Year 2 is more likely.

He did slim a bit because Gorgia plays 4-3 and used him as a MLB a lot this previous year vs DE. That's what I thought at first but he weighed in at 245 that's not too bad for an OLB. I think he can easily gain 10-15 pounds of muscle from now till September.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Halshayeji

[Halshayeji]

3 hours ago, bioLarzen said:

I'm flattered that you conseider me a good source on this - but, to be honest, I have no idea I can only go by nfl.com's analysis on him. From this he doesn't seem a plug-n-play, week#1 guy from the physical point of view. He seems to be in need of some extra muscle and weight.
Skill- and talent-wise, however, he seems a good one. Mocks like to put him in the 17-25 range of the first round, so, while he seems a bit of a reach at #6, there's a good chance he won't be around when we pick in the second round. Maybe, if we trade out of #6?

But, once again, I'm only speculating, as I have never seen the guy play.

Kiper just moved him to 11 on his board lol

[bioLarzen]

  3 hours ago, bioLarzen said:

I'm flattered that you conseider me a good source on this - but, to be honest, I have no idea I can only go by nfl.com's analysis on him. From this he doesn't seem a plug-n-play, week#1 guy from the physical point of view. He seems to be in need of some extra muscle and weight.
Skill- and talent-wise, however, he seems a good one. Mocks like to put him in the 17-25 range of the first round, so, while he seems a bit of a reach at #6, there's a good chance he won't be around when we pick in the second round. Maybe, if we trade out of #6?

But, once again, I'm only speculating, as I have never seen the guy play.

Kiper just moved him to 11 on his board lol

That would still be within the range where Ozzie could easily tradde down IMHO - in fact, even more so than at around #20.

[bioLarzen]

  2 hours ago, bioLarzen said:

So, it's Will Hill. With Weddle snatched, it was kinda obvious that one of the bigger money safeties would be cut. I though it would be Webb - but no, it's Will Hill.

just got that message.
He's not even really big money though, only $4.5M against the cap.

This doesnt make sense though, he played well and stayed out of trouble.
They could just plug Kendrick Lewis in his spot, cuz he's really a box safety anyway. but i think they try to resign Hill to cut the cap number.

"Confirmed by WNST's text service: "Will Hill suspended 10 games for violating NFL's substance abuse policy. per ESPN."

Well, this may lend a lot of sense to it, right?

[januaryjoeshouldhave3rings]

Draft Elliott from Ohio State with #6 pick an let some of those young Db's get some play, I think we would be scary team to face in the playoffs. Am i dreaming or is this really possible? In Ozzie we trust, and solute to Decosta.

[riseNConquer81]

44 minutes ago, bioLarzen said:

"Confirmed by WNST's text service: "Will Hill suspended 10 games for violating NFL's substance abuse policy. per ESPN."

Well, this may lend a lot of sense to it, right?

lol yeah. clears that right up. 
welp...
smh